These films were selected because they show children dealing with complex psychological and emotional issues rather than as cute ciphers who should be seen but not heard,” reveals Clapp. “Each of the children already possesses the intelligence and integrity that will carry them through adulthood. Each director finds a different way to contrast the enlightened but scarred adults with the fresh but wary perspective of the kids they care for. The new series celebrates the beauty of the human soul hidden behind the warped or forgotten dreams we carry with us as adults.
Flick’s Café : Complicated Youth
FILM CLUES
January 22:
Searching for Bobby Fischer. Josh, a typical American boy, exhibits
a remarkable talent for chess. As
his training and matches increase, he must decide if his gift means that
he must surrender himself to that world. 110 min. PG.
Read notes from this event.
January 29: Chocolat (1988) is an intelligent and
multi-nuanced portrait of racism in French colonial Africa. The story is told
from the point of view of the young daughter of a French magistrate who leaves
his wife and daughter under the care of a loyal and capable Black servant while
he goes off on frequent trips. The girl delights in the time she spends with
the young man and he shares glimpses of his world with the child, but his adult
heart and mind are elsewhere. The film explores communication or rather the
lack of it, in relation to love, work, respect, and responsibility. It is a
film without a message other than acknowledging that trust and respect are
fragile commodities in complex human relationships. In French / English. 105
min. PG-13
Read notes from this event.
February 5: Central do Brasil [Central Station] is
more a redemption story than a road movie following an embittered and cynical
former teacher who makes money writing letters for the illiterate poor at the
local train station. She takes their money under the pretext of sending their
messages, but she just laughs about the letters with a friend and never mails
them. Over the course of the film, she is forced to follow the path of one
of her letters and depend on others, including the child of one of her clients,
for help. It is a powerful and effective spiritual journey. The scenes during
the festival of lights and later at a simple tract house celebrate human nature
at its best without imagining any saints or miraculous transformations. In
Portuguese with English subtitles. 113 min. R
Read notes from this event. 
February 19: Housekeeping -
Two orphaned sisters bear up under a series of elderly relatives until they
are “rescued” from
their care by a very eccentric aunt. The director humorously explores
the thin line between supporting independence and enabling dysfunction 116
min. PG-13 Read notes from this event.
February
26: Pather Panchali is part one of a trilogy
about the life of a poor Brahmin boy named Apu and his family. The glory of
the film lay in its rich portrait of rural life and in the personalities of
children and adults. Water plays a key role in each of the films, but in part
one especially, the water flowing in streams and ponds and from the jugs and
bowls sings like the voice of life itself and it is beautifully echoed in the
rich music of Ravi Shankar. The film dances when the children run and exudes
a wistful playfulness throughout, even in the face of tragedy. If there is
a point of view in the film it is that each person is aided and compromised
by his or her personality and that there are no answers save living each day
with regard for those around you. In Bengali with English subtitles.
115 min. Read notes from this event.
March
4: Crooklyn - Spike Lee presents Brooklyn in the early
seventies through the eyes of Troy. She is the only daughter in a nuclear
family of seven and experiences the silliness and sorrow of family life in
that time and place. 115 min. PG-13 Read notes from this event.
For more information on
these films and Flick’s Cafe, please call 757-5310. To view
notes from the previous series see Director's
Cuts - Romance.